Chapter Title: The Little Girl/ Perfect

AN: Behold a Shadow chapter! (I hope this lets you guys understand where he's coming from).

Chapter 4

"I'm heading to town." Announced Shadow as he set his foot on the edge of the table as he tied the laces of his boots. It was around noon and he had just finished working on the crops for the Summer along side Sonic who had been assisting him with fertilizing the soil. By now the younger hedgehog has ran off do Chaos knows what.

He didn't care what exactly but he was actually glad the younger hedgehog had helped him. Working on the farm alone was rather time consuming and this was the first time he had finished early. Having a helping hand was quite well... convient.

Amy entered the room then and Shadow quickly took notice the slight smile she had on her face. She rarely smiled much at all so this was quite odd. "Why are you smiling?" Shadow asked his wife who stood holding a pot of coffee with a wide smile.

Her smile replaced itself with a frown. "Nothing." Amy said dryly as she handed him a single cup and walked away from him in what seemed like anger. Shadow himself was not sure why. Had he missed something? He wasn't sure and brushed it off.

—•—

Shadow exited the plant nursery with new crop sees to begin planting. He was thinking about planting strawberries this season. They were his wife's favorite afterall but much time consuming to grow in a field on his own. Though now that he had Sonic to asssit him maybe he could begin growing them again.

Anything to make her smile again, he thought as he shoved the small bag in his pocket when he felt a smack on his leg which made him blink down at what had hit him.

A small rabbit sat on the ground rubbing her nose with a small pout on her lips as if she was about ready to cry. She was rather cute. So tiny as well.

"Careful," Shadow warned as he kneeled down to help pick up the small girl who looked qup at him almost dazed. The little girl's big round eyes glistened in awe as the handsome male helped her to feet. She was indeed captivated.

"Cream!" Yelled out an older female rabbit that came rushing down the sidewalk and Shadow was caught by surprise that it was none other than Vanilla Rabbit who he had not seen in many years. He didn't even know she had given birth to a child. She too had struggled with conceiving one.

"Shadow Robotnik! I haven't seen you since you married into the Rose family." Vanilla said with a gentle look in her eye. "My, you've grown up so much!"

"I thought you had moved away with your husband." Shadow said nonchalantly.

Her face dropped a bit. "I had to move back home after he died from bronchitis..."

"Forgive me for asking." Shadow said with a frown as he bowed.

"It's fine. He did leave me with a piece of himself that helps me out a lot at home," Vanilla explained with a proud smile. "I run a bakery you see so when you have a little one around they tend to help you out a lot. It's a nice feeling. Especially since she will be taking over the bakery in four years when she marries."

"She's still quite young..." Shadow said with a scrutining look at the little rabbit sucking her thumb. Four years did not seem that far. She was so tiny.

"Oh, no!" Vanilla said with a wave of her hand. "She's almost nine years old you see. I had her when I was eighteen so quite old." Vanilla said with a smile, not realizing that her words tore through his heart. "What about you, Mister Robotnik?" She asked with a tilted head.

"I don't have any." Shadow concluded plainly as he stood, dusting off the dirt from his knees. Instantly regretting the conversation. This was the last thing he needed on his mind.

"Oh, my!" Vanilla said quite shocked as she clasped a hand over her mouth. "What will happen to your farm if you don't obtain a heir? Hasn't the Rose Farm been passed along for fifty generations?"

"Yes." Shadow remained a stoic expression but inside he felt his heart bleeding out.

"That's just horrible," Vanilla said sadly as she shook her head. "Amy's mother also struggled having a child for years. I believe she had Amy at age twenty one so don't loose hope! Maybe you should try giving your wife some yams, berries, and oysters. They are known to be for optimumizing fertility." Vanilla explained as she reached into her basket of groceries and took some out to offer him some. "They really helped me a lot when I was trying!"

"I'll keep it in mind," Shadow replied with a stoic expression as he took the ingredients from the older female. Though he highly doubted these things would work. At the start of their marriage, both hedgehogs used whatever remedies that were offered but none of it worked. By now he knew that she was not the problem.

The rabbit nodded. "Well, I wish you well Mister Robotnik make sure to give your wife the yams especially!" Vanilla said as she waved a farewell at the ebony hedgehog as she began walking away. "It was nice seeing you and you should send Amy a greeting on my behalf!"

Shadow nodded them farewell.

"Bye, bye, scary man!" The young rabbit called out cutely as she waved goodbye at the ebony hedgehog. Shadow's gaze followed the little rabbit as she pranced happily alongside her mother in fits of giggles. He wondered if that is how Amy would be if they were to ever have a child. What would it be like teaching a younger version of himself the ways of life?

He shook those thoughts away as he took a bite of the yam that was given to him and made his way back home. He had the sudden urge to see his wife. Besides, it wasn't like she liked being left alone with the Feral now that he was up and moving.

She still had slight fears.

—•—

Shadow wasn't sure what exactly he expected when he got home but it sure was not the distraught look on his wife's face as she ran down the front door steps hurriedly. "Darling!" She called out to him as the tears dropped down her face.

Shadow held her shoulders in place as his eyes looked guilt ridden. Had the Fetal done something? "Rose, what's wrong?" He asked, his eyes searching all over her body for any sign of wounds once to see none.

"Sonic hasn't come back for about eleven hours now!" Amy said worriedly as she gripped onto his chest. "It's almost midnight. What if something happened to him? Or what if the Officials caught him?"

Shadow froze for a moment as she blankly stared back at her tear jerking face.

She was crying over a Feral?

The idea almost made him laugh—ALMOST—considering it had only been a few weeks ago that she was preaching all over their house how she wanted him gone and out her sight. To have the Feral be turned into the very Officals she was worried about now. It was comical to him, to say the least.

Though as he gazed upon his wife's fearful face he could help but feel guilty for considering even laughing. It was true that his wife had began to see the Feral as a child. He found it odd but he didn't blame her considering that this was the first time in her life that she taught others how to live life.

It made him feel saddened.

"Damn," Shadow cursed as he ran past her and quickly into their home, rummaging through the closet by the front door and taking out his shotgun and running back to his wife. "I'll go find him," Shadow reasured her as he held her face in his hands. "Calm down. There's no need to cry."

Amy nodded meekly as she wiped a teardrop off her cheek and watched him run off into the forest. To be fair, her crying hadn't only just been from Sonic's absence but something else as well. A very large detail about the day that he had forgotten. It pained her heart and she only wished it didn't have to repeat itself this year.

—•—

Branches broke below Sonic's feet as he grinned happily as he pranced down the pathway of dirt of the forest. His fur was a tangled mess. It emphasized how Feral he really was made him look far more dangerous. He on the other hand had no care in the world as he blissfully arranged what he held in his dirt covered hands.

Or at least he was until an all too familiar sound of a clocking shotgun ran in his ears.

The cobalt hedgehog froze like a deer caught in headlights as he found himself once again gazing into the bloody red eyes of Shadow Robotnik just a few feet away from him with a shotgun aimed right at him. He gulped. Fear trickling down his spine.

Shadow scoffed, putting down his shotgun. "Where the hell were you?"

Sonic swallowed, glancing at the shotgun with relief. "Flowers for Madame Robotnik," he explained as he arranged the flowers in a sort of bouquet. "I spent the whole day tying to find some rare green roses for her."

"Why would you do that?" Shadow asked distastefully as he swung the shotgun over his shoulder.

Sonic tilted his head in confused. "Well it is her birthday today, isn't it?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Shadow asked before he paused and remembered the date. June 22. He cursed inwardly, he had forgotten her birthday again twice in a row. How could he let that slip past his mind again?

"Well I could have sworn she mentioned it to you last week too at dinner..." Sonic said, trailing off.

"Shut up." Shadow snapped, holding his head in frustration.

How could he forget something this important?

His own wife's birthday for Chaos sake!

What had this been?

The third?

Fourth time he had forgotten?

He had been so caught up lately with his personal thoughts and frustrations that he had always ended up forgetting what days he was living. He just always felt so overwhelmed that he had let his work consume him in an effort to distract himself. And it just had to be on the day that he had finished work early as well.

Had he realized before he could have done something special for his Rose.

"Bloody hell..." Shadow cursed. He truly was the worst husband.

"Here." Sonic offered, shoving the beautiful flowers he had found in Shadow's chest. "Give her these when we get back." The cobalt hedgehog smiled kindly at the older male who stared at him with confusion. "As your part."

—•—

"Rose," Shadow said softly as he entered their bedroom.

The young beauty gave him no answer as she curled to her side, facing away from him, and pulled the covers closer to her body. "I found Sonic." He said gently as he walked over to the bed and sat beside her, nudging her to get up.

The pink hedgehog seemed hesitant but sat up from bed with a sour look on her face. A pout on her lips, arms crossed, and her head facing away from her husband. Clearly she was upset. He couldn't blame her though and he cursed himself inwardly again for forgetting such a significant day.

And so he coughed to get her attention and watched as her eyes shined once she saw what was in his hands. "Here." Shadow said as the flowers entwined between her fingers in utter wonderment.

"Green roses?" Amy said in surprise, an excited smile on her face. "I didn't know green roses even existed!"

"They are very hard to come by apparently..." Shadow said lowly, repeated Sonics earlier words.

Amy's smile beamed. "Is this why you were gone all day?"

Guilt ripped within Shadow's chest at her words.

He wished that was the cause but instead he had been the other half of his day wandering around the market place.

"Yes?" He say slowly.

The beaming in Amy's eyes made Shadow breathless as the pink hedgehog gazed up at him. It was a heartwarming smile. A smile he not witnessed for so many yeats.

Shadow froze in suprise as his wife wrapped her arms around him. It had been a while since she had last shown any affection to him. His gaze lowered and he wrapped his arms around her as well.

He missed it.

"Thank you." Amy said sweetly as she cuddled into her husband's chest. "I thought you had forgotten."

Indead he had...

It made the pit in his stomach grow in size and guilt devour him.

"Shadow..." Amy's soft voice whispered, breaking him from his thoughts. "Would you mind helping me change my bedwear...?" The young beauty asked with flushed cheeks as she looked up at him through her eyelashes.

The ebony hedgehog watched her silently as he caressed her cheek, admiring how beautiful his wife was, how lucky he was to have married someone like her. Someone so perfect. He pulled away with a slight frown. Someone as perfect as her deserved so much more than him.

"I have to take a bath." Shadow said, gently pushing her away.

Amy held out her hand to him as she watche him exit the room.

A sad frown replaced her once smile as she clutched her hand and shut her eyes and hugged her flowers. When the petals met her skin and the wonderful aroma filled her sense of smell she forced herself to smile. It was such a meaningful gift though to her a simple snuggle like they used to have before would have sufficed.

She had a wonderful husband.

—•—

He was a horrible husband. Shadow thought as he undressed himself.

He was tired of making her sad.

He needed to make her happy again.

To see her smile everyday like she always did when they were younger and happily married.

And somehow his memories of Vanilla Rabbit and her child clouded his mind again.

Looking back now, he had never seen her so happy before.

What had changed? He wondered as he let his body be soaked by the water in the tub as it clasped itself around his form, allowing his eyes to shut in deep thought.

"...he did leave me with a little piece..."

Oddly enough a picture appeared within his mind.

How would his wife look with a pregnant belly and him beside her?

He thought made his heart warm up.

His eyes snapped open and he gripped his fists in determination.

Tomorrow he would convince her.

Shadow or Sonic? .*

Also what are your thoughts on Shadow and Amy?

NEXT CHAPTER IS COMPLETE BUT WILL BE UPDATED BASED ON REVIEWS.

(Could even upload within 2 days).